Thanksgiving Isn't Just about Turkeys

While I love Thanksgiving Turkeys and Pilgrims, I decided that many, if not most, teachers have bookshelves full of those book so I decided I'd rather focus on a different twist to this holiday. This week's books are all related celebrations of Thanksgiving. Hopefully, they'll encourage your kids to think about traditions and get everyone in the mood for the holiday.

Thank You, Sarah by Laurie Halse Anderson

We almost didn’t have Thanksgiving! If it weren’t for Sarah Hale, that wonderful day of turkey, football, and pumpkin pie might not exist. Sarah Hale spent thirty-eight years, wrote thousands of letter, and countless bottles of ink petitioning presidents to declare Thanksgiving as a national holiday. This book is a great introduction to nonfiction, to why we celebrate Thanksgiving, and the impact of persuasive writing.

Balloons over Broadway by Melissa Sweet

And the biggest Thanksgiving celebration… of course, is in New York City Thanksgiving Parade. People young and old rise early to watch the parade and see the amazing balloons that will fill the sky that day. But have you ever wondered who invented the amazing puppets that are part of the parade? In this book, kids will meet Tony Sarg the impressive puppeteer who created the inspiring helium balloons that dominate the traditional parade. I love this story because Tony Sarg pursued his dream and was incredibly successful in doing so. This is a great book to inspire kids to talk or write about their dreams and what it would take to realize them.

The Memory Cupboard by Charlotte Herman

Holidays are about memories and this book celebrates memories. On Thanksgiving Day, Katie is at her grandmother’s house. At dinner she accidentally breaks a treasured gravy boat. With Katie in tears, Grandmother shows Katie the cupboard where she collects broken items. She shares with Katie the memories that each broken item represents. And most importantly, she shares the truth that people are more important than things. This would be a perfect opportunity for kids to share what things they own that are important because they are memories of times and people that are important to them.

The Thanksgiving Door by Debbie Atwell

Holidays are about sharing. When Ed and Ann’s turkey dinner burns, they think their Thanksgiving is ruined. They venture out to see if the new restaurant in town has opened.

The New World Café has not actually opened, but the immigrant family that own the restaurant are having their own family dinner in the café. Ed and Ann show up and the door is open. At first the family despairs, but Grandmother silences the family and invites Ed and Ann to dinner. The evening includes good food, dancing and new friendships. This is a great book to help students understand that disappointments can lead to unexpected great surprises.

The Perfect Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving at the Tappletons’ by Eileen Spinelli

I really liked these two books because they help children understand that however they celebrate holidays, it’s okay or maybe even perfect. In The Perfect Thanksgiving, one family has the plump golden turkey and lace napkins on the table. In the other family the turkey burns and the napkins are Dad’s shirt sleeves. But both Thanksgiving celebrations are perfect. In Thanksgiving at the Tappletons’, everything goes wrong. There is no turkey, no mashed potatoes, and no pie. It seems that Thanksgiving has been ruined. That is until Grandma reminds them that there’s more to Thanksgiving than turkey and pie. A lot of our kids realize that holidays don’t always meet our expectations. These books can help kids deal with disappointments and understand that they are a part of life.